Train Shots: Stories

A young boy has been violent since his father’s imprisonment, so when his mother sees him playing with a rabbit, she hopes it’s a good sign. But, she discovers he has other plans for the rabbit, and her. The Princess of Pop is lonely and unsatisfied with her fame. She finds comfort in listening to Janis Joplin’s music while at the same hotel where Janis died. Is it a coincidence, or does she have other intentions? A woman spends her time rescuing dogs. When someone steals her favorite, she takes a serious look at her life and wonders what she’ll find to fill the gap this time. An engineer has a difficult time dealing with death, as people use his train to commit suicide.

Train Shots is a collection of eleven short stories that are an insightful look into the lives of ordinary people. Each story is like a photograph, a moment frozen in time. The characters stayed with me and I found myself thinking about them and reading the stories over again to make sure I didn’t miss anything. They are sometimes humorous and often surprising; I look forward to reading more of Blakeslee’s work.